A Matter of Taste
by Whisperwill
Summary: Post-Boiling Rock.  The Aang Gang adds a few more colorful characters to their group, and when everyone agrees to have a food contest, it's time for all of them to come up with the best recipe imaginable.  One shot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_; someone else who's very lucky does. I didn't create it; that credit goes to the two geniuses and my role models, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. And I'm not making money by posting this story****.**

**A/N: Originally completed in October or November of 2008. After I watched "The Boiling Rock," I had a bunch of theories for how the next episode was going to go. So I wrote it into a story, although obviously "The Southern Raiders" was _WAY_ better than anything I could come up with. The horizontal lines represent passage of time. Read and REVIEW! Whee!**

**A Matter of Taste**

Sitting in the shadows at the edge of the fire, Zuko watched Sokka animatedly retelling their adventure at the Boiling Rock. Although it was barely five minutes since they had returned with the former prisoners, life in the Avatar's little group was quickly returning to normal. Sokka and Katara sat as close to their father as possible; they couldn't seem to get enough of his company. Toph sat with her legs stretched out in front of her, warming her dirty feet by the fire, occasionally interrupting to offer a wisecrack. Next to her, Teo and Haru were listening intently, despite having heard the story once before. The Duke, the only one so far who had been bold enough to approach Chit Sang, was asking the convict what prison was like. Suki stood a little apart from the others, running her fingers through Appa's shaggy fur. And the Avatar appeared content just to watch everyone else, his eyes as bright as his smile.

"The other guards wanted me to take off my helmet, but I couldn't!" Sokka was saying. "So I told them—"

"All right, all right," Hakoda cut him off with a grin. "The tale is as good the second time as it is the first, but it's already late. We should be getting to bed." Zuko suspected that the order was meant to be for Sokka and Katara alone, but the other children must have believed otherwise, because they began unrolling bedrolls and blankets. Haru helped Teo ease down from his chair and lie down. Toph Earthbent two slabs out of the ground to make herself a tent. Chit Sang and the Duke simply flopped down on the ground, and Sokka and Katara let their hair down for the night before stretching out next to each other. Shyly, Suki sank to the ground nearby, smoothing her hair. Aang, with Momo tucked under his arm, wandered off to sleep on Appa's tail as usual.

Zuko stretched out his hand to reduce the campfire to a mass of sluggish embers. Hakoda sat across from him, his blue eyes soft as he watched his children drifting off to sleep. Although Zuko knew that he had helped Sokka to save Hakoda from prison, the Water Tribe man still made him uneasy. Hakoda had every reason to hate him—the prince of the nation who had killed his wife, the son of the man who had brought suffering to all four nations, the boy who had chased his son and daughter all over the world. Katara didn't believe in his genuine desire to turn over a new leaf—she still didn't, or couldn't, trust him. Sokka, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to accept Zuko as a new member of the team. Zuko wasn't sure which side their father would take on the issue.

At that moment, Hakoda got to his feet and stepped lightly around the fire, careful not to wake up those sleeping around him. Zuko kept his eyes downcast as the man stopped next to him.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself earlier," he said, keeping his voice low. "My name is Hakoda; I'm Katara and Sokka's father."

"I'm Zuko," the fire prince muttered, getting to his feet and bowing slightly.

"I want to thank you for your part in the rescue mission," Hakoda said. "Sokka told me he never would have found the prison without your help." He smiled warmly. "More importantly,

I want to thank you for teaching Aang Firebending." His eyes had a faraway look in them as he murmured with quiet conviction, "You don't know what it will mean to the rest of the world, for the Avatar to defeat the firelord and end this war."

"Yes, I think I do," Zuko contradicted him in little more than a whisper. He looked Hakoda in the eye as he said solemnly, "I will do everything I can to help the Avatar learn Firebending, defeat my father, and restore balance to the world."

Hakoda gave a slow, approving nod. "We are indebted to you more deeply than you know." He clapped the prince briefly on the shoulder and went to lie down next to his children. Zuko breathed a sigh of relief at Hakoda's support and went to sleep that night more peacefully than he had in days.

He rose with the sun the next morning, intending to hunt for Aang and begin the day's lesson, but the Avatar was way ahead of him.

"Hey, Zuko, check this out!" Aang crowed from behind him. Zuko turned around to see his student balanced in a one-hand handstand, with flames perched on his free hand and on both feet.

"Ta-daaa!" he sang out before losing his balance and falling over. Zuko resisted the urge to sigh with impatience.

"Nice job," he said, trying and failing to sound enthusiastic. "Come on. Today I'm going to teach you Breath of Fire."

They both went into one of the Western Air Temple's secluded rooms, a place called the Mountain Wind Sanctuary. Most of their lessons took place here; Zuko enjoyed the room because he could teach in privacy, and Aang liked being close to the relics of his ancestors.

"Since energy in Firebending comes from the breath, it's not that hard to learn the Breath of Fire," Zuko explained. He inhaled deeply and blew out flames like a dragon.

"We could call you the Dragon of the Western Air Temple," Aang joked while applauding. He took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, but all that came out was a powerful gust of wind, throwing him across the room.

"I guess I need a little more practice," he said apologetically.

"No kidding," Zuko replied dryly. He placed his hands near his stomach. "The stomach is known as the Sea of Chi. Can you feel your energy inside it?"

Aang nodded, his brows furrowed in concentration.

"Good. Now, all you have to do is move that energy out through your mouth. It's just like regular Firebending, only you use your breath instead of your hands or feet."

Aang took a deep breath and held it for so long that Zuko began to think he would faint from lack of air. Then the Avatar's nose twitched, and he let out a sneeze that shot out flames—and a powerful gust of wind. He was catapulted into the air, and managed to grasp hold of a giant stalactite near the ceiling.

"Like that?" he shouted down.

Zuko resisted the urge to sigh with impatience.

* * *

><p>Despite the Avatar's irritating tendency to turn everything into a game, he mastered new techniques startlingly quickly. By the time the sun was overhead, he was shooting monstrous bursts of flame through his mouth, driving Zuko back against the wall during their sparring session. Zuko only managed to win the fight—and his dignity—by creating a wall of fire and throwing Aang back.<p>

"Whoa!" Aang shouted as the flames died. "Teach me to do _that_!"

"That's enough for now," Zuko said, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Why? Are you afraid I'll be able to beat you if you teach it to me?" Aang asked slyly. Zuko didn't answer; privately he thought that Aang ought to be less worried about beating him and more worried about beating his father.

"You're just in time for lunch!" Sokka called as they joined the others.

"Wait till you hear what we're having—boiled rocks!" Katara announced, her eyes widened to keep up with her bright smile, one which Zuko understood to be sarcastic.

"Hey, it's not my fault there's nothing around to eat; we're in the mountains!" Sokka defended himself. "And they're lichi nuts, not rocks."

"Sounds great!" Aang remarked cheerfully. He scooped a bowlful out of the bubbling cauldron.

"Gotta be better than prison food," Chit Sang grunted, serving himself. Zuko paused to sniff the suspicious brew.

"Did you put panda lily root in here?" he asked.

"Yep—brilliant, I know," Sokka declared proudly.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Not exactly. Panda lily root is poisonous." Overhearing him, Aang and Chit Sang spat out their mouthfuls of stew. Aang zipped away in a gust of wind to rinse his mouth in a nearby stream, while Chit Sang roared, "What are you trying to do, kill me?"

Hakoda glared warningly at the ex-convict. "Anyone can make a mistake," he said firmly. As Sokka slumped dejectedly, Katara slipped a supportive arm around his shoulders.

"It's not your fault," she agreed. "We just don't have any supplies out here." She stared dreamily at the horizon. "Wouldn't it be great if we could get our hands on some sea prunes?"

"Or meat," Toph put in.

"Or moon peaches," Aang added longingly, wandering back to rejoin them.

"Or meat," Sokka said. The gang sighed collectively for the things they couldn't have, all except for Hakoda, who was staring at Appa.

"How fast can that bison go?" he asked. Aang shrugged.

"It's hard to tell unless you've been on him."

Sokka began to grin. "He can make it to the ocean and back from here," he said.

"Maybe we can salvage lunch after all," Hakoda suggested with a smile.

"We could have a contest!" Sokka's eyes gleamed at his idea. "Everyone can split into four groups and make traditional dishes from each of the four nations. Whoever makes the most delicious food-thing wins!"

Everyone agreed and began chattering excitedly about what they would cook. Soon they were splitting into groups. Hakoda and his children got on Appa and set out for the sea. Aang raced up the far mountainside like the wind and was soon lost from sight.

"I'll race you to the stream, Toph!" Haru said with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Prepare to lose," Toph replied confidently. She and Haru rode away on roiling mounds of earth, leaving Teo, the Duke, and Suki to hurry after them.

Which left Zuko alone with Chit Sang. A long, uncomfortable silence passed between them. A vulture-wasp circled high in the air, and Momo pounced on a creepy-crawly something in the grass.

"I'll make fire flakes," Chit Sang offered finally. "I know how to roast 'em to kill."

"I'll make tea," Zuko answered, relieved that he wouldn't have to work in close contact with this dangerous-looking stranger. They set about their respective tasks and hardly talked for the rest of the day.

Toph, Haru, Teo, the Duke, and Suki were the first group to return. The Duke and Suki were each holding a string of fish. After Haru had cleaned the fish and wrapped them in leaves, Toph used Earthbending to bury the fish beneath the ashes of last night's fire. Teo, bent double in his chair, kindled a flame to life with such speed that he almost resembled a Firebender.

"One thing about having an inventor for a father," he commented with a rueful grin, "I learned how to start fires quickly and put them out even faster."

The savory smell of the fish convinced Zuko that he would have to brew one of the finest teas he knew of to win the contest. Jasmine tea was his uncle's favorite—Zuko smiled at the memory—and when it came to types of teas, no one knew more than Iroh. He just hoped that there was a jasmine bush growing nearby.

* * *

><p>The fish was baked, the tea was brewed, and everyone was hungry. Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda had stewed a batch of sea prunes, and Chit Sang brought fire flakes as promised. Aang showed up last, bearing a huge golden cake.<p>

"It's moon peach cake!" he said, his eyes glowing with delight at his creation. "I used fruit from the orchard that the Airbenders used to tend and fired up one of the monks' old baking kilns to make it." He extended his hand over the center and twirled his fingers gracefully, causing a swirl of peach filling to burst out of the cake's top.

"I bet our fish beats your cake," Haru said with a smile. He began handing a crispy fish to each person. "My mom taught me how to spice it just right." Zuko followed him with steaming cups of tea.

"This is really good," Suki said once she'd devoured her fish.

"And I'm certainly no tea expert, but this tea is delicious," Hakoda complimented Zuko with a warm glance in his direction.

"Wait'll you try the sea prunes," Katara promised them as she spooned the golden broth into bowls. "They're the best." For some reason, Aang's face was twisted into a grimace of disgust.

When he first began sipping the honey-like liquid bathing the prunes, Zuko couldn't understand why Aang, sitting next to him, was shuddering with distaste. The fire prince scooped a prune onto his spoon, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew. It took all his self-restraint not to gag as salty juice poured over his tongue. The salty prunes mixed with the sweet broth in a horrible clash of flavors. Swallowing it and fighting the urge to retch, he caught the Avatar's eye. Aang had ever-so-casually set his bowl behind himself, and Momo was already scurrying away with it clutched in his hands. Zuko would have liked to do the same thing, but Sokka and Katara were watching him closely, waiting for his reaction.

"So? Do you like it?" Sokka asked expectantly.

Before he could lose his resolve, Zuko dumped the bowl's contents into his mouth and swallowed. The prunes went down like rocks, but he was satisfied at Katara's and Sokka's twin beams of pleasure and Aang's gape of stupefaction.

"I'd eat more, but I want to save room for dessert," he lied smoothly.

"What about my fire flakes?" Chit Sang reminded them. He held out a leather bag to whoever wanted some, but no one seemed brave enough to take any except Sokka.

"All right!" he cheered as he grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth. Almost immediately, he went into a fit of sputtering and coughing. Hakoda pounded him on the back while Chit Sang shook his head scornfully.

"Wimps," he grunted before emptying the bag into his mouth. He chewed briefly and swallowed. The only clues to the flakes' true nature were Sokka's still-streaming eyes and Chit Sang's belch, which was heavy with steam.

Aang brought his cake before them with such ceremonial seriousness that Zuko almost wanted to laugh. The Avatar used Airbending to slice the dessert into eleven equal pieces. He handed each person his share and broke his own piece into three bits to share with his lemur and bison. Everyone exclaimed over the luscious cake, and Zuko didn't think he had ever tasted anything so porous and sweet.

"So who won?" the Duke asked when they were finished eating.

"We have to vote first," Haru reminded him. "And," he announced with a sheepish smile, "I vote for the fish."

"Isn't it pointless to vote?" Toph pointed out. "Everyone will pick the food that their team made, so eventually, Earth Kingdom wins." She grinned at the prospect.

"Not necessarily," Zuko spoke up. "I'm voting for the cake."

"Me, too," Aang added quickly. More and more people cast their votes until the tally was complete. Zuko, Aang, Teo, Suki, and the Duke all voted for the moon peach cake. Toph and Haru liked the fish best; Chit Sang voted predictably for his fire flakes. And Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara stuck loyally to their sea prunes.

"Yes! That means I win!" Aang hollered. He spun himself a ball of air and rode it like a rhino, whooping with glee.

"I don't see what made his pie so great," grumbled Chit Sang, who was still pouting because his fire flakes had only garnered one vote.

"I'm with you," Toph agreed glumly.

* * *

><p>As the gang bedded down for the night, Katara discovered an empty bowl and a neat pile of sea prunes lying under a bush and demanded to know what they were doing there. Zuko watched with amusement as she glared suspiciously at Aang.<p>

"Uh, Momo must have been saving them for later," Aang hedged. Katara didn't seem convinced; so he said good-night and made a quick getaway to sleep with Appa.

Zuko slipped his robe around himself and lay down. The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was Hakoda gently stroking his daughter's hair. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard the Duke whisper,

"Teo? It's weird having an adult around, isn't it?"

"Don't you mean _two_ adults?" Teo replied sleepily.

"Yeah, well—Chit Sang doesn't count."

~_The End~_


End file.
